WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Sambucus spp. & cvs. (CA native and non-native spp.), WUCOLS IV

How often to water elderberry in California

In July in the Central Valley, established elderberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 19 gallons a week. Elderberry is a fast-growing deciduous shrub or small tree with leaves divided into toothed leaflets and broad, flat clusters of creamy flowers. Blue elderberry, native to canyons and valleys across much of California, follows its bloom with bluish-black berries that birds love. Along the coast and in the valleys, established plants get by on little summer water, and they also take clay and seasonal flooding.

ShrubTreeCalifornia nativeRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water elderberry, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for elderberry and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Leaves wilting or yellowing early in a hot inland summer while the soil is dry a foot down show the shrub needs a deep soak
  • A white, powdery coating or spotted leaves point to powdery mildew or leaf spot, not thirst
  • Branches split or broken after strong wind reflect its weak wood rather than a watering problem
  • New shoots popping up around the base are root suckers, which form a thicket if left in place
  • Leaves yellowing while the ground stays soggy all summer suggest more water than an established elderberry wants

How to water it

  • Soak the root zone 18 inches to 2 feet deep with drip or a slow hose, then let it dry well down
  • Water young plants through their first summers until the roots are down, then taper off
  • Plant in full sun or part shade in soil that holds some moisture yet drains, clay included
  • Pull or cut suckers you do not want, or let them fill in where a thicket suits
  • Spread the watered area as the clump widens, since it often grows wider than it is tall

Through the seasons

Water a new elderberry through its first summers while the roots go down. After that, coastal and valley plants need only occasional deep soaks, while desert plantings need more. Flowers open from spring into summer, berries ripen in late summer and fall, and the leaves drop in winter. Selective pruning keeps it shapely. WUCOLS rates elderberry low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, on the south coast and in South Inland. In the high desert and the low desert it rates moderate water.

In pots

Elderberry outgrows most containers, so use a pot only to hold a young plant for a season or two. Choose a large container with drainage holes and a loamy mix that holds some moisture. In hot weather, test the mix every day or two. Once the top 2 inches feel dry, water until it flows from the drainage holes. Do not let the pot stand in a full saucer. Move it into the ground before the roots crowd the pot.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
1.07gal per sq ft in JulyLow water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
6.84 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.761.52.33.00.16JAN0.26FEB0.43MAR0.61APR0.83MAY0.99JUN1.07JUL0.95AUG0.72SEP0.47OCT0.22NOV0.14DEC0.761.52.33.00.16JFM0.61AMJ1.07JAS0.47OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 1.07 in Jul, 6.84 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Elderberry: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.160.310.310.740.78
Feb0.210.260.320.350.930.93
Mar0.350.430.460.521.461.52
Apr0.470.610.560.641.891.95
May0.580.830.640.782.392.45
Jun0.640.990.690.922.852.79
Jul0.641.070.7913.042.85
Aug0.60.950.740.932.792.6
Sep0.50.720.60.742.142.08
Oct0.350.470.460.531.461.49
Nov0.190.220.330.360.930.96
Dec0.120.140.260.270.650.68
Year4.86.846.27.3721.2721.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated low water in the Central Valley, like elderberry. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

LavenderLavandula spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRosemaryRosmarinus officinalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyBougainvilleaBougainvillea & spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyOlive TreesOlea europaea ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFig TreesFicus carica ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCrape MyrtleLagerstroemia spp., hybrids & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyLantanaLantana camara ssp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyAloeAloe spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPomegranate TreesPunica granatumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyEucalyptusEucalyptus polyanthemoslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPine TreesPinus canariensislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyJunipersJuniperus spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySagebrushArtemisia spp. (shrubby)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes elderberry, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water elderberry in summer?

In July, established elderberry in loam needs a deep watering about every 20 days in the Central Valley, about every 27 days on the south coast and about every 22 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does elderberry need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established elderberry needs about 2.7 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 11 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for elderberry change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates elderberry separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, low water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, low water in the South Inland zone, moderate water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Are elderberries safe to eat?

Ripe berries are edible when cooked and make good jelly and pie. Unripe berries are much more toxic, and the leaves, stems and roots are poisonous. Cooking helps break down the toxic compound.

Is elderberry native to California?

Blue elderberry is. It grows wild in canyons and valleys west of the Sierra Nevada, from Oregon into Baja California. Other elderberries sold in nurseries come from Europe or eastern North America.

Does elderberry spread?

Most kinds send up root suckers and form a thicket if the suckers are left in place. Remove unwanted shoots at the base to keep a single clump.

Do birds like elderberry?

Yes. The berries feed jays, thrashers and many other birds, and hummingbirds and butterflies visit the flowers. Native bees nest in dead, hollow stems if you leave 12 to 24 inch stubs.

Why is my elderberry not fruiting?

It flowers on second-year wood, so cutting every stem back hard removes the next crop of flowers and fruit. Prune selectively and leave some older stems in place.

Can elderberry grow in wet soil?

Yes. It tolerates clay and seasonal flooding and grows wild along streams and marshes. It still does best in soil that drains between wet spells.

More plant watering guides

Swamp MahoganyFlooded GumRed IronbarkEvergreen EuonymusCrown of ThornsCreeping SpurgeRigid SpurgeFleeceflower

Sources